Lawrence Mayor Troubled by Library-Temple Israel Deal

The mayor of the expressed concern about a pending deal in which Peninsula Public Library would move onto the property of Temple Israel, saying it is not appropriate for another building to be built on a "front lawn."

"My intuition on it is we set a precedent where a resident can take his front lawn and turn it into a new property," Mayor Martin Oliner said at the Lawrence Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday. "New legislation may be needed to deal with this."

Temple Israel agreed in September to sell the library about a half-acre of land for more than $2.5 million, and is awaiting approval from the Village of Lawrence to approve a subdivision, according to local reports. would build a three-story, 30,000-square foot building at the site.

Other trustees expressed concern about the parking situation a new library facility would create on neighboring Fulton Street. "I am certain zoning issues will pop up," Trustee C. Simon Felder said. "The residents should be spoken to and we should get their feelings about it. They [had] moved into a residential area and this will change it."

Oliner, who will meet with attorneys of the temple and library on Thursday, said that the current deal is not a "traditional situation," but rather "a radical approach" and "an aggressive solution."

Other items discussed during the Lawrence Board of Trustees two-and-a-half hour meeting:

• The trustees intend to measure all the streets in the village to determine "passability," as smaller streets may pose a problem for anyone trying to pass through.
• The board voted to lower the cost of the resident recreation permit by $25 to $325, against the recommendation of the parks commission, who wanted to raise its price by $100. Trustees Joel Mael, Michael Fragin and Felder voted to approve the reduction. Fragin and Mael, who argued the price of the pass should follow other park fees and be reduced, started laughing after the price drop's passage. Trustee Edward Klar, the liaison for the parks commission, was visibly upset.
• Felder said he wants to send a mailing out to village residents to report any break-ins to police. He said some residents have told him they've recently had their items stolen.
• Mael expressed concern about residents who buy the lots behind their houses and turn them into recreational facilities. He said he knows of "five or six cases with people unhappy about it." The trustees said they will explore options on how to deal with this potential issue.